The Cave of the Seven Sleepers
by Scott Montgomery
Summary: When The Hodja calls The 6th Doctor to 1986 Ephesus, Turkey, to help him repair the fusion reactor that powers the temporal penitentiaries keeping the warring Falconians and Lurptussans confined—Peri joins her stepbrother in defending the Temple of Artemi


This was my 23 August 2003 submission to Big Finish Productions. I received my rejection letter from producer Ian Farrington dated 31 July 2004.

This story features The Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown, and it takes place just prior to "The Mysterious Planet."

It was not my intention to contradict events surrounding Peri's family, brilliantly presented in Joseph Lidster's 2006 audio release of "The Reaping." I have no idea when he wrote that story, but my synopsis was submitted 3 years earlier.

"Hodja" is a Turkish word meaning a wise, learned man.

The 'cave of the seven sleepers' is a legendary cave popularised in the Western world in the 7th Century by Paul the Deacon's _History of the Lombards_, and it appears in the _Qur'an_ (surah 18, verses 9-22). It was also included in Jacobus de Voragine's medieval best-seller _Legenda Aurea_ (circa 1260).

Please be aware that this story is in its original synopsis form. It is not in short-story format.

ASA/PR/NCR Registration № R692-13224, 13 Mar 2008

_Disclaimers__: Doctor Who was created by Sydney Newman and is copyrighted by the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Wales, BBC Worldwide, BBC Radio, BBCi, BBC Audiobooks, Argo Records, Big Finish Productions, FictionLab, Cosgrove Hall Films, Universal Pictures, and the Fox Broadcasting Company. Fables involving The Hodja and the Cave of the Seven Sleepers are centuries old and are considered public domain. Any copyright infringement on my part is purely unintentional._

**THE CAVE OF THE SEVEN SLEEPERS**

by

**Scott Montgomery**

Somewhere in space, the Falconian ship _Archaeopteryx_ lurches out of control. Barlizon Pteros identifies the attacking ship as Lurptussan and the weapon employed as a diamop. The avian crew of the _Archaeopteryx_ caw in terror as the gravitational and magnetic forces of the diamop begin to tear their ship apart. Trogon Furcula reports to Pteros that she managed to fire a multiphase implosion pod at the Lurptussan ship before the diamop disabled their weapons systems. Within seconds, they hear the Lurptussan ship explode. Furcula mutters to herself that out of chaos comes order.

Circa 250 AD, Ephesus, Turkey: Roman Emperor Decius hands an important talisman to The Hodja, who—along with Decius and six others—runs to a cave entrance to Mount Anchilos. Inside, The Hodja and the others begin pressing buttons on hidden consoles. When Decius warns them that they cannot prevent the Kaguls from penetrating the subspace conduit, The Hodja returns the talisman to Decius—asking him to keep the 'control device' safe, in order to protect The Pythia. Decius decides on a cover story—that the seven 'saints' sought refuge in the cave to avoid persecution, while The Hodja begins designing a transmitter to jam the Kaguls' sonic vibrations. As Roman guards approach, Decius emerges from the cave...proclaiming that the saints have fallen into an eternal sleep. He then orders that the cave be sealed up.

On board the TARDIS, Father Selen is delighted to be travelling with 'the patron who influenced Saint Anthony in the Third Century in his development of monasticism.' The Sixth Doctor humbly denies that his quoting K'Anpo could have biased his old friend Anthony. Peri is looking forward to working with the Horticulture Department from Ankara University in its field study on new cultivation techniques for extracting alkaloids from poppy-plant straw. Father Selen is happy to have arranged for Peri's involvement in the study. The Doctor conveys to Peri how proud he is of her and that her participation in the study should look good on her readmission application for university. Braden Foster, Peri's stepbrother, is psyched to be travelling inside an actual time machine—-something worth missing an El DeBarge concert for. Peri is thrilled to be spending time with Braden, not having seen any of her friends or family since she left Lanzarote with The Doctor. An alarm draws The Doctor's attention to the TARDIS console. He announces that they are detecting a massive subspace chronoton ring inside the time vortex.

1986 AD, Seljuk, Turkey: Turkish Antiquities Director Mehmet Demirag sits quietly at a small coffeehouse, smoking a water pipe. Sitting next to him, German financier Helmut Mahnke states that the halva tastes delicious with raki—-paying no attention at all to the muezzin calling the Muslims to prayer in the background. Demirag asks Mahnke to show some respect towards the local villagers by not talking during prayer. Mahnke promises not to disrespect the locals so long as Demirag will promise not to undermine his authority with the archaeologists at the excavation site. Demirag acknowledges his appreciation for Mahnke's German marks, but he also reminds Mahnke that Turkish Antiquities is under his jurisdiction. As ultrasonic sounds begin to fill his ears, Demirag hears voices telling him not to trust Germans. Mahnke, oblivious, suggests that they should return to Ephesus.

Peri asks The Doctor if a subspace chronoton ring is a bad thing. The Doctor explains that any artificially-created anomaly in subspace is bad. Suddenly, the console room lurches to one side with its customary sound effect. The console begins to spark, and the cloister bell begins to chime. The Doctor explains to his nervous passengers that they are trapped in the chronoton ring but that he is activating auxiliary attitude control.

1986 AD, Ephesus, Turkey: Mahnke is pleased with the progress the archaeologists are making, though Demirag criticises Mahnke for putting on airs when the Turkish labourers are doing all of the work. Their conversation is cut short by the shrill sound of a man crying out in pain. Both Mahnke and Demirag rush to the side of the screaming archaeologist. With some detachment, Demirag doesn't understand how it would be possible for a rock to electrify someone. Grabbing a nearby wooden shovel, Demirag knocks the convulsing archaeologist away from the noxious granite stone. Stooping down for a pulse, Mahnke states that the man is dead. Demirag furiously proclaims that Allah is angry that they are tampering with the forces beneath the Temple of Artemis. When the other archaeologists begin to panic, Mahnke offers Demirag some Turkish lira. Placated for the moment, Demirag orders the archaeologists to continue their work.

As the cloister bell stops ringing, the TARDIS hum again fills its passengers' ears. Peri, Braden, and Father Selen moan as they pick themselves up from the floor. When The Doctor activates the main scanner, Peri guesses that they are looking at the interior of the chronoton ring. The Doctor surmises that they are riding its chronoton waves. Braden asks if they are safe. Though The Doctor doubts that they are, he begins pressing buttons on the console—assuring everyone that they should be able to materialise at the mouth of the anomaly. Though that temporarily comforts Braden and Selen, Peri notices The Doctor moaning in pain. The Doctor explains that the TARDIS's telepathic circuits are routing a distress signal into his mind—a telepathic call for help from another Time Lord...a very old one.

The distant song of the muezzin's call to prayer is drowned out by the familiar sound of the TARDIS materialising.

With the familiar ping of the time rotor resting, The Doctor tells the others that he is all right now. Braden asks where they are, prompting Peri to activate the scanner again. Aghast, Father Selen realises that they have landed in plain sight in the middle of the Ephesian amphitheatre. The Doctor chooses not to worry, suspecting that most of the locals are probably at the dig site. Peri asks if they have at least landed in the right year. The Doctor confirms that they have arrived in 1986 and then pulls the TARDIS door lever.

One-by-one The Doctor, Peri, Braden, and Father Selen step out of the police box and onto the stone-covered ground. Braden smells the air—thinking it 'gnarly' that it smells like so many countries he used to visit with Howard. Peri whispers to The Doctor that it _does_ remind her a bit of Egypt. She wonders if Erimem ever visited Ephesus. Taking a deep breath, The Doctor begins to lecture about the architecture and history surrounding the amphitheatre. When Braden asks if he is always like this, Peri responds that he loves the sound of his own voice. Braden asks Selen which direction the Temple of Artemis is from them. The Doctor sighs, wishing that some day he may travel with a companion who appreciates history. Chuckling, Peri asserts that for now he is stuck with a companion who appreciates when he is in a mellow mood.

Turkish professor Fatosh Kandemir speaks into an electronic journal—logging that a Gallifreyan time capsule has arrived, its crew undoubtedly here to help repair the 'magnetic containment field.'

The Doctor wonders if Peri may have noticed that his behaviour was somewhat erratic after he regenerated this last time. Peri tries to act surprised. The Doctor then drops the pretence and apologises to her, adding that she means more to him than she could possibly know. Interrupting, Braden reminds The Doctor that his father's colleagues will be waiting for him at the dig site. Peri adds that she will need to find Fatosh Kandemir, the chairwoman of Ankara University's poppy field study. Father Selen takes his leave of them, anticipating that Misters Demirag and Mahnke are probably at each other's throats by now. The Doctor indicates that they will have to wait until they locate the source of the telepathic distress signal. He produces two beeping remote sensors from his coat and explains that one is pre-programmed to home in on Gallifreyan brainwave patterns. He asks Peri and Braden to find the Time Lord while he uses the other 'rem-sen' to track the source of the subspace chronoton ring. Somewhat alarmed, Peri asks what will happen if their distressed Time Lord turns out to be The Master or The Rani, just baiting them into a trap. The Doctor solemnly responds that an Archangel of Time would never behave in such a disreputable manner.

Father Selen demands to know what has happened. Helmut Mahnke suggests that the victim's shock was probably due to the mishandling of an electrically-powered jackhammer. Mehmet Demirag corrects that eyewitnesses confirm that the man in question had been carefully using a hammer and chisel. Father Selen mumbles a scripture to himself—Psalm Fourteen One.

Peri wonders if she may have worn the wrong shoes, trying not to let her heels get caught between the stones of the ancient Arcadian Street leading from the theatre. The change in beeps and blurps from the rem-sen indicate to Braden that they must be headed in the right direction. Cautiously, Peri asks Braden how Howard died. Hesitantly, Braden admits that the police believed it to be a suicide. Peri is regretful that she missed Howard's funeral. She didn't know how much her mother's filing for divorce had affected Howard. Braden cheerfully states that Peri will always be his big sister.

The Doctor saunters up to the Temple of Artemis dig site and begins scanning with his rem-sen. Mehmet Demirag points out that the site is closed to the public and demands to know who The Doctor is. The Doctor, disregarding the urgency of Demirag's query, explains that he has official standing with the United Nations. Interrupting, Helmut Mahnke asserts that the dig is a private venture not subject to governmental scrutiny. Coming to his rescue, Father Selen explains to Demirag and Mahnke that he can personally vouch for The Doctor's identity and that he will take full responsibility for The Doctor's actions. The Doctor resumes his scanning, believing the source of the chronoton waves to lay beneath the unearthed portion of the excavation site. As Demirag and Selen exchange words in Turkish, The Doctor reads from his rem-sen some unusual sub-quantum particle vibrations around the entire dig area. Mahnke instructs the archaeologists to keep digging.

Fatosh continues her log entry, noting that she is presently tailing two Terran crewmembers from the Gallifreyan time capsule.

Braden tells Peri that he thinks someone is following them.

The Doctor's rem-sen beeps and blurps, indicating a localized distortion field around the entire excavation site—origin unknown. Suddenly, the air is filled with harsh ultrasonic vibrations. Demirag, Mahnke, and the archaeologists moan in agony. The Doctor orders everyone to cover his or her ears. As the vibrations become louder, Father Selen notices alien forms materialising. The Doctor is shocked to see 'Kaguls.' When Selen asks if the dwarfish creatures with antlers are demons from Hell, The Doctor replies that the Kaguls are a mercenary species who have the ability to control other species' minds by generating chaos particles on the appropriate frequencies. Demirag notes that there are dozens of Kaguls appearing out of thin air, while Mahnke notices that two of their archaeologists are gyrating as if they were possessed. The Doctor is unable to prevent the two archaeologists from leaping down into the deepest pit of the dig site—-their screaming voices becoming gradually inaudible as they fall. With that, the ground around the dig site beings to tremble. Lightning-bolt-like anomalies strike the perimeter of the dig site until the newly-unearthed portion of the Temple of Artemis spontaneously explodes! The Doctor, Father Selen, Demirag, and Mahnke are all thrown to the ground by the force of the blast. The lightning anomalies and trembling cease, as do the ultrasonic vibrations—as the Kaguls vanish. Father Selen rushes over to an unconscious Doctor...and is unable to wake him.

End of Part One

Fatosh, continuing her log, indicates that presence of Kaguls at the excavation site could indicate a Lurptussan presence. She suddenly trips over a rock and falls to the ground with a thud. Hearing her fall, Peri and Braden run over to Fatosh to see if she is injured. Fatosh stands up and introduces herself. Relieved, Peri introduces herself and Braden—adding that she is the American who has been consigned to the poppy plant field study and that her stepbrother, Braden, is here to observe the archaeologists at the Temple of Artemis dig site. Fatosh asks slyly what their rem-sen is.

The Doctor suddenly sits up and assures Father Selen that he is all right, and then he continues his scanning. Demirag asks The Doctor what has just happened. The Doctor explains that a rogue band of Kaguls used two of his archaeologists to deactivate the temple's Gallifreyan booby-traps.

Braden asserts unconvincingly that the rem-sen is a metal detector designed to home in on Greco-Roman coins. Acting satisfied with that answer, Fatosh takes her leave of them—inviting Peri to join them at the poppy field just north of the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Once Fatosh is gone, Peri observes that Fatosh accepted their explanation a little too quickly.

The Doctor explains to Selen, Demirag, and Mahnke that the sub-quantum particle vibrations he had been picking up earlier were a result of the chaos particles being generated by the Kaguls' antlers. He adds that Kaguls are rarely seen because they are phase-shifted into another dimension. Selen declares that the Kaguls are Ifrit demons after all.

The beeps and blurps on Peri's rem-sen change. Peri states that the source of the Gallifreyan brainwave patterns is approximately twenty feet ahead of them. Braden asks if Peri means inside the cave in front of them. Peri wonders if the cave could be the Cave of the Seven Sleepers Fatosh had spoken of.

Demirag demands to know how his two dead archaeologists allowed themselves to be possessed by these Kaguls. The Doctor explains that humans' neural pathways are governed by sub-quantum particle vibrations and that the Kaguls' chaos particle waves penetrate their victims in order to manipulate and tempt them on a neural level. He adds that to the victims, the Kaguls are perceived as internal voices. Mahnke interrupts, asking what the distortion field had been. The Doctor elucidates that the distortion field was obviously constructed to contain the effects of the Gallifreyan booby-traps. Confused, Selen asks if the Gallifreyans are indeed The Doctor's own people. The Doctor clarifies that booby-traps were put in place by the Archangels of Time, temporal warriors from Gallifrey's Dark Time.

Peri asks Braden if he sees what she sees. Braden confirms that she is if she is seeing a man with a huge turban, riding backwards on a donkey, coming out of a grotto just outside the cave. Even with his back to them—The Hodja detects the presence of Peri and Braden, and he welcomes them both to the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Peri explains to her confused stepbrother that according to Judeo-Christian-Muslim legend, seven young saints fled the city of Ephesus to avoid persecution and took refuge in a cave during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius and that the seven saints went to sleep inside the cave for some two-hundred years. 'A mere nanosecond to a Time Lord,' The Hodja asserts. As The Hodja turns his donkey around, Peri deactivates the rem-sen and then tells The Hodja that they have been looking for him.

The Doctor steps down deeper into the excavation site, stumbling over sediment and layers of trodden charcoal in the process. He continues to scan with his rem-sen. Demirag worries that their anthropology team won't be pleased if the explosion has damaged fragile artefacts. The Doctor warns that scornful anthropologists will be the least of their worries if they have unearthed something important enough to be protected by the Archangels of Time. Noticing how deep the new pit is, Demirag wonders if they have located the original inner chamber of the temple. Mahnke orders some archaeologists to bring their trowels over. The Doctor, retrieving a sonic lance from his pocket, says he has a better idea.

The Hodja leads Peri, Braden, and Borak—his donkey—inside the Cave of the Seven Sleepers; and then he activates a cloaking field at the cave mouth. Cutting to the chase, Peri asks The Hodja if he is the Time Lord who sent the telepathic distress signal to The Doctor's TARDIS. The Hodja is surprised to hear the name 'The Doctor,' but he does confirm that he sent the signal. Braden asks how long The Hodja has been here. The Hodja states that The Pythia assigned his Archangel Legion to the Earth Outpost several thousand years ago. Peri is confused, citing the Time Lords' First Law of Time. The Hodja chuckles, explaining that the Archangels of Time predate Omega, Rassilon, and the Laws of Time. After asking who The Pythia is, Peri is surprised to hear The Hodja's answer—The Pythia is Artemis.

Having carefully vaporised sediment in the pit, The Doctor begins to notice the tops of various statues. He believes he may see the top of a statue of Artemis herself. Selen and Demirag join The Doctor's side in awe of the discovery, while Mahnke quietly slips away and retrieves a walkie-talkie. He tells someone on the listening end that they could have 'a problem.'

Peri is horrified to hear that The Hodja and the other surviving members of the Legions of the Archangels of Time still actively involve themselves in the affairs of other planets. The Hodja defends his actions on the grounds that he took an oath to protect the Galaxy Peri knows as the Milky Way from insurgent forces and that he intends to carry out his duties. Peri asks if the Archangels are in-leagues with the Celestial Intervention Agency. The Hodja scoffs, proclaiming that the members of the CIA have no honour and then adds that the members of the High Council are nothing more than gutless aristocrats. Braden, having been told already that Time Lords are allowed only thirteen lives, wonders how the Archangels could still be alive. The Hodja again chuckles. Peri asks The Hodja directly if he and the other Archangels still have supporters on Gallifrey. The Hodja confirms that he and the other Archangels are allowed to return to Gallifrey in secret in order to jump looms at the end of their thirteenth incarnations in order to obtain another thirteen lives. Peri, now slightly worried, asks if The Doctor knows about this. With his most jovial laugh yet, The Hodja proclaims that 'The Doctor' has done it himself!

After deactivating his sonic lance, The Doctor leaps down into the now-deeper marshy pit of the temple. He yells up to Selen and Demirag that this must have been the inner-most chamber, adding that the most prominent statue is that of Artemis—with her many breasts and offspring. A proud Demirag lectures that they symbolise fertility. The Doctor corrects him, indicating that the breasts represent the Gallifreyan looms and that the offspring represent regeneration.

The Hodja asks both Peri and Braden to sit and listen to his story about the Calamitous Tangential Timeline. Braden quips that all Time Lords must be long-winded. The Hodja then relates to the two young Americans about how in the Splinter Reality the Falconians, a long-lived avian warrior race, left their ancestral home of Falconia—which existed at the beginning of time—in order to resettle in the Kasterborean System. Peri recognises the Kasterborean star as the star that Gallifrey orbits. The Hodja continues that the Falconians invaded Gallifrey during the Dark Time, decimated Time Lord society, enslaved the Gallifreyans, and stripped Gallifrey of its natural resources for use in their eons-old war with the reptilian Lurptussans. Peri is horrified. As The Hodja tells his tale, Peri can almost hear the cries of the Time Lords as the merciless Falconians would swoop down from the clouds, cover their prey with their majestic wings, and then bite their heads off! Braden asks why the Falconians left Falconia in the first place. The Hodja calmly explains that the height of the Falconian empire existed at the very beginning of spacetime—shortly after the Big Bang but that their exalted utopia slowly began to decline as the universe continued to expand. Peri is confused—if the Falconians died out as the universe expanded, how could they travel to the Kasterborean System? The Hodja elucidates that the Falconians learned to break into the time vortex with subspace conduits, triggered by tachyon pulses. Braden has come to his own conclusion—that the Lurptussans must exist at the end of time.

Fatosh Kandemir, speaking into a walkie-talkie, tells the party on the other end not to worry because The Doctor poses no threat to their operation. She adds that the gendarmerie will not search a university-run processing plant for Papaver somniferum seed pods. Her tone changes, as she warns her associate that his Kurdish contact must be ready to receive their diacetylmorphine.

In space, on board the _Archaeopteryx_, Barlizon Pteros reports to his crew that their ETA is only six megamassivemicrodonets to their destination at 7.4 spatial gelanims to port—Earth.

The Hodja confirms Braden's theory, attesting that seventeen-thousand-million years from now, the complex matter which makes up their universe will begin to fragment and split into lesser compounds and that space and time will accelerate backwards towards the Big Crunch...where the Lurptussans will bask in the height of their own empire. Braden understands—the Lurptussans will develop a way to survive their own destruction when the Big Crunch begins. Peri completes his thought—entering the time vortex through their own subspace conduits. The Hodja confirms. He then explains that foreseeing the Calamitous Tangential Timeline, The Pythia fled Gallifrey with seven of her Archangels from her Sixth Archangel Legion and settled on their Earth Outpost—where a member of the Fourth Archangel Legion was already on the scene. Peri asks what The Pythia had them do. The Hodja responds that they secretly developed a Temporal Demagnetiser and a Subspace Chronoton Ring in order to contain the Falconians at the beginning of time and to contain the Lurptussans at the end of time.

Peri asks what the problem is if they have these devices in-place to keep the Falconians and Lurptussans away. The Hodja reluctantly reveals that the Chronoton Ring is powered by a matter-antimatter intermix fusion reactor located at the centre of the Earth, adding that the mouth of its main access tunnel is located here in the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Unfortunately, The Hodja has learned that the reactor's magnetic containment field is degrading and will soon collapse.

Demirag cannot fathom how The Doctor managed to vaporise the extraneous rock layers without scratching the artefacts with his sonic lance. The Doctor is jubilant—he has located the focal point for the chronoton waves inside the statue of Artemis! Father Selen is relieved—now they can disable the chronoton ring thing and get back to Peri and Braden. Suddenly worried, The Doctor realises that the statue itself may be booby-trapped.

The Hodja thanks Peri and Braden for listening to his story and then asks them if they would like any chai. A bit frazzled, Peri insists that The Hodja tell The Doctor everything he just told them. Braden wonders how long a walk it will be from the cave to the temple dig site. In a reassuring voice, The Hodja insists that walking will not be necessary because he has a transmat. No sooner does he finish his sentence than he, Peri, Braden, and Borak the donkey vanish in a transmat beam.

Mahnke sneaks up on Fatosh, who scolds him for meeting with her in broad daylight. Mahnke explains that his PKK contact reports that three of his associates have been apprehended by the Turkish National Police. Fatosh has had enough of Mahnke's fretting; her skin swelters under the heat of this costume, and she is in no mood to hear about Mahnke's political concerns. Fatosh then grabs Mahnke by the throat and injects a device into his head, mesmerisingly telling Mahnke that he will feel great pain if he continues to resist his conditioning and tries to think for himself.

The Hodja, Borak the donkey, Peri, and Braden materialise in a transmat beam just above the dig site's uppermost pit. Peri yells out for The Doctor. Hearing her, Father Selen rushes over to her. He warmly greets The Hodja and then asks them all to come over to the newly-excavated pit. The Doctor steps up out of the pit, brushes himself off, and then freezes at the sight of The Hodja. The Hodja insists that he must speak with The Doctor at once.

Back in the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, The Hodja calmly tells The Doctor that the collapse of the fusion reactor's containment field would create a massive discharge of gamma radiation...adding that since he has become quite close to the Turkish people over the last few centuries that he does not wish to see them harmed. The Doctor demands to know where the fusion reactor is located. The Hodja sheepishly replies that it is located in the centre of the Earth!

End of Part Two

Back at the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, The Doctor is furious. The Hodja tells The Doctor not to worry because the Daleks will disassemble the reactor when they burrow into the planet's core in the 22nd Century. The Doctor draws The Hodja's attention to the bigger picture—that if the Falconians were to escape from the beginning of time that they would indeed enslave his Gallifreyan ancestors and strip Gallifrey of its natural resources before the Era of Rassilon could even begin. The Hodja supposes that is true. The Doctor continues his rampage—pointing out to The Hodja that if the Lurptussans were to destroy the Temporal Demagnetiser that they would invade the Quaban System before Omega is able to harness the temporal energy from the resulting supernova from The Hand of Omega. The Hodja suddenly feels foolish and short-sided. The Doctor, trying to maintain his composure, points out to The Hodja that the first thing they need to do is to establish a dampening field to block the Chronoton Ring reactor's power signature so that the Kaguls have no target to lock onto.

Demirag invites Braden 'Effendi' Foster to step down into the new dig site pit. Braden does so, followed by Peri. Braden asks Demirag where the meteorite from Jupiter is. Peri interjects that the meteorite would have been excavated years ago. Demirag pats Peri on the back, exclaiming that she must have learned a thing or two from Howard about archaeology. Peri mutters that she certainly learned how to be stranded on an island. With a hint of anger in his voice, Braden interjects that she certainly learned how to leave her family stranded without so much as a postcard from Mars now and then to let everyone know she was alive and well.

The Doctor pauses his entering commands into one of the cave's consoles long enough to ask The Hodja how he knows about the Daleks' invasion of Earth in the late 2150s. The Hodja nonchalantly discloses that his Legion found a way centuries ago to tap into the Matrix on Gallifrey. The Doctor is aghast. The Hodja chuckles and then congratulates The Doctor on his appointment to Lord President.

Fatosh meets Mahnke covertly behind the coffeehouse in Seljuk. Fatosh indifferently shows Mahnke that she has the heroin, and Mahnke happily opens the crate in front of him—revealing the MP-44s. Fatosh complains that she asked for AK-47s. Mahnke rebuts that the Sturmgewehr-44s were easier to obtain from his East German contacts. Fatosh checks to see that the cartridges are already loaded. Mahnke thanks Fatosh, insisting that his PKK friends will use the proceeds from the sale of the drugs to further the cause of the Kurdish people. Fatosh scoffs that she has studied this planet's history enough to know that terrorist groups do not represent or act on the behalf of their peoples. As a matter of complete indifference, Mahnke asks Fatosh why her people don't simply use standard energy weapons to attack the Chronoton Ring's reactor core. Fatosh curtly responds that energy weapons would be anachronistic and then shouts at him that he has no understanding of the complexities of interfering with the timelines of primitive cultures. Mahnke bids Fatosh farewell, stashes the heroin, and then stealthily departs. Fatosh reseals the weapons crate and mutters to herself that she hopes her students know how to use these things.

A warning signal draws The Hodja's attention to one of the cave consoles. The Hodja begins entering commands and then mutters something about a headache. The Doctor asks what is wrong. The Hodja indicates that the Touchstone has picked up a Falconian battlecruiser entering into geostationary orbit around Earth. The Doctor realises that the Chronoton Ring reactor's containment field must have degraded to the point that the Falconians have managed to break out of their temporal penitentiary and enter this timestream through a subspace conduit. The Hodja cries out in pain and falls to the cave floor. The Doctor notices blood running down The Hodja's face and begins to unravel The Hodja's kavuk turban—revealing an electronic apparatus grafted directly into The Hodja's skull!

Father Selen, Demirag, Braden, and Peri look up at the sky as they hear the thundering sound of Falconian scoutships descending upon them! Father Selen shouts 'Of!' and exclaims that the demons from Hell are coming for them in to exact judgment upon them for their misdeeds. Demirag scoffs, ordering one of his archaeologists to contact President Özul at once. Selen doubts that their army can protect them from this onslaught. Peri doubts that any force on Earth can protect them. Braden reminds Peri what The Hodja said about Falconians swooping down and biting off the heads of their victims.

The Hodja reveals that the electronic apparatus is the Touchstone. Wiping blood from The Hodja's face, The Doctor deduces that the Touchstone is the data storage system for the information The Hodja's Archangel Legion pilfered from the Matrix. No wonder The Hodja always wore such a huge turban around his head, The Doctor realises. As The Hodja briefly loses consciousness, The Doctor begins downloading data from the Touchstone to his rem-sen. When The Hodja regains consciousness, The Doctor asks if his Legion made any provisions for protecting the planet from alien attack. The Hodja responds in the negative. The Doctor re-wraps the turban to cover the Touchstone on The Hodja's head, forces The Hodja to stand up, and then orders him—as Lord President of Gallifrey—to go to the Earth's core and begin powering down the reactor's magnetic containment field. The Hodja is alarmed—that would leave the reactor totally vulnerable. The Doctor insists that the containment field is already past the point of usefulness and that they must move the reactor to a new location.

Peri is excited to see Fatosh Kandemir and her horticulture students approaching the dig site, until she realises that they are all carrying MP-44 assault rifles. Demirag demands to know what is going on. As Father Selen shouts at the heavens, Braden notices something fall out of his pocket. Upon close examination, Braden knows at once that the object is the Evil Eye of Artemis talisman.

The Doctor further explains that they will need to synchronise their TARDISes to generate electrostatic transmat projectors to create a temporary stasis field for the reactor core, until they can relocate the reactor. The Hodja objects, but to no avail. The Doctor only repeats his order with his formidable voice. The Hodja agrees, but only because The Doctor is a fellow Archangel—not because he is Lord President. The Doctor is confused by this statement but tells The Hodja to hurry. The Hodja orders his donkey, Borak, to power up their TARDIS's helmic regulators and then hurries over to the far side of the cave. He presses a button, and a massive bulkhead door opens in front of him. The Hodja then activates a personal force field to protect himself from the heat of the Earth's core. The Doctor wishes his friend luck, The Hodja descends the steps behind the bulkhead door, and The Doctor quickly presses buttons on a console. The Doctor then vanishes in a transmat beam.

The donkey Borak slowly trots out of the Cave of the Seven Sleepers and then enters its adjacent grotto.

Fatosh assures the humans at the excavation site that none of them will be harmed so long as they cooperate fully. Peri shouts at Fatosh—realising that she is a Falconian. Knowing that her cover has been compromised, Fatosh sheds her human costume. Father Selen, Demirag, Braden, and Peri stand in awe of Fatosh's massive wingspan. Fatosh proclaims that she is Trogon Furcula of the Falconian ship _Archaeopteryx_.

End of Part Three

Braden whispers to Peri that Helmut Mahnke is sneaking up on Furcula and her armed horticulture students from behind.

The Doctor materialises in a transmat beam in the middle of the Ephesian amphitheatre. He immediately enters his TARDIS and slams the door shut. The air is then filled with familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerialising.

Inside the TARDIS, The Doctor frantically presses buttons on the console. He then activates the scanner. On the scanner, he hears Furcula telling Peri and the others that the Falconian scoutships will remain cloaked from Earth's radars so long as they obey her commands. If they fail to cooperate, then her commanding officer, Barlizon Pteros, will be forced to break their cover and order the hovering scoutships to open fire on Ephesus. The Doctor encourages his 'old girl' TARDIS to hurry.

In the volcanic core of the Earth, The Hodja dodges falling lava streams and approaches the containment field control console. After entering the correct command codes, a computer voice confirms that access to command pathways is granted. The Hodja verbally orders the computer to disengage the magnetic containment field but not to power down the reactor. The computer warns that such protocol is not recommended. The Hodja instructs the computer to obey and then orders it to disengage the docking clamps and to prepare the reactor for transmatting. The computer acknowledges.

On board The Hodja's TARDIS, which has a slightly different hum, Borak brays at the console. The console reacts with a series of patterned beeps and blurps.

Inside The Doctor's TARDIS, The Doctor is pleased that Borak has powered up The Hodja's TARDIS's helmic regulators and established a power link with its Eye of Harmony conduit. The Doctor then presses a button and speaks directly to Borak on board the other TARDIS, telling the donkey that he is transmitting coordinates now for their destination—a lifeless asteroid inside the Alma Ompola Nebula.

Helmut Mahnke manages to strike one of the horticulture students on his back, knocking him to the ground. Mahnke immediately grabs the fallen student's assault rifle and guns down several of the students! The students scream in pain as they fall to the ground. Furious, Furcula orders the remaining students to return fire. Before they can react, Father Selen shouts 'No' and commands the Ifrit creatures to leave this place and to return to Hell in the name of Allah 'Insallah!' Braden rushes to Father Selen's side and asks the horticulture students to behold the Evil Eye of Artemis. Suddenly, subsonic vibrations fill the air. Reacting swiftly, Peri apprehends one of the Kagul creatures and tears off its antlers! The Kagul squeals in pain then vanishes. Peri shouts at everyone to follow her lead. Father Selen, Braden, Demirag, the archaeologists, and the disoriented horticulture students begin apprehending other Kaguls and tearing off their antlers, with the unholy cacophony of squealing Kaguls suffering and then vanishing.

Proud of Peri's initiative, The Doctor deactivates the scanner and enters more commands into the TARDIS console. When the cloister bell begins to chime, The Doctor presses another button to respond. On speakers, The Hodja reports that the Chronoton Ring's reactor is standing by for transmat. The Doctor tells The Hodja to make his way back to the lift, return to the cave, and board his TARDIS at once, where Borak has already preset the coordinates for the Alma Ompola Nebula.

With the cacophony of squealing Kaguls having ceased, Peri mutters to herself that out of chaos comes order. The disoriented horticulture students throw down their rifles, while Demirag manages to disarm Furcula! Before Father Selen can congratulate everyone, Mahnke aims his MP-44 at Furcula's head, warning the cloaked Falconian warriors that Furcula will die unless they return to the _Archaeopteryx_. On a coded frequency, Barlizon Pteros reluctantly orders his warriors to withdraw. Immediately, the air is again filled with the thundering sound of Falconian scoutships, this time retreating to the Earth's atmosphere. Mahnke explains that Trogon Furcula is also of royal descent and is highly venerated by the Falconian peoples. Demirag demands to know how Mahnke could possibly know that. Mahnke simply laughs.

On board The Hodja's TARDIS, The Hodja reports to The Doctor on audio that the reactor's matter-antimatter intermix fusion core is stable and that he and Borak are ready to engage their electrostatic transmat projectors.

On board The Doctor's TARDIS, The Doctor acknowledges and reports that he too is ready to engage his electrostatic transmat projectors. The Doctor then gives the order to begin transmatting now.

At the Earth's molten core, the Chronoton Ring reactor dematerialises in a transmat beam...leaving only the sounds of lava flows and tectonic shifts.

On board The Hodja's TARDIS, The Hodja reports that the stasis field is stable and that they are ready to enter the time vortex. On speakers, The Doctor acknowledges.

At the Ephesian amphitheatre, the Doctor's police box dematerialises.

At the mouth of the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, The Hodja's grotto TARDIS dematerialises.

At the Temple of Artemis dig site, Helmut Mahnke sheds his own human disguise. Peri is repulsed by Mahnke's reptilian skin. Mahnke proclaims in his new hissing voice that he is Leptidon Leptarmahn of the Ninth Lurptussan Fleet. Furcula places her massive beak around Leptarmahn's neck, but Leptarmahn knocks her off-balance with his assault rifle. Furcula regains her balance, flapping her wings and cawing in fury. Leptarmahn belittles Furcula for not knowing that she was doing business with a Lurptussan Leptidon all along. Furcula swears revenge and then vanishes in a Falconian teleport beam. Leptarmahn then apprehends Peri and points his MP-44 rifle at her head! He orders Braden to jump down into the newly-excavated pit and to place the Evil Eye into the right hand of the Artemis statue. Braden reluctantly begins sliding down into the pit. A brave Peri asks Leptarmahn what good that will do. Leptarmahn happily explains that inside the statue is the control mechanism for the Temporal Demagnetiser and that the Evil Eye will deactivate the Archangel booby-trap that protects the statue.

On board The Doctor's TARDIS, The Doctor reports to The Hodja that they have arrived at the Alma Ompola Nebula. On speakers, The Hodja reports that Borak has located the lifeless asteroid and that they are transmitting coordinates now. The Doctor acknowledges that he has received them and instructs The Hodja to alter the trajectory of his transmat projectors to place the stasis field on the asteroid. The Hodja acknowledges, adding that the Temporal Demagnetiser's fusion reactor has safely materialised on the surface of the asteroid. The Doctor hopes that they can transfer power from their Eye of Harmony conduits to reinforce the reactor before the Lurptussan agent Helmut Mahnke gains access to the Chronoton Ring to destroy the Temporal Demagnetiser.

Leptarmahn explains that they must establish a subspace conduit link to the Chronoton Ring in order to neutralise the Temporal Demagnetiser. Peri quips that the Lurptussans would then be able to escape their Archangel penal complex at the end of time and return to their timeline and resume their battle with the Falconians. Leptarmahn laughs maniacally and then adds that with the Chronoton Ring breached, the full Falconian fleet could escape their Archangel imprisonment at the beginning of time as well. Father Selen insists that Braden not comply because two such savage species should not be allowed to pollute their history as they know it. From inside the pit, Braden sourly replies that he has no choice if he wishes to save his sister's life.

On board The Hodja's TARDIS, The Hodja reminds his braying Borak that the destruction of the Temporal Demagnetiser would mean that the Archangels could no longer avert the Great Time Reversal and subsequent Big Crunch. On speakers, The Doctor insists that they must return to 1986 Ephesus to stop the Lurptussans from gaining access to the Chronoton Ring. The Hodja points out that the fastest way back to 1986 Ephesus would be to ride the waves of the Chronoton Ring.

The Doctor agrees and sets coordinates for the Chronoton Ring. Once again, the console room lurches to one side with its customary sound effect, while the cloister bell begins to chime.

Braden shouts to everyone from the pit that he has placed the Evil Eye of Artemis talisman in the right hand of the Artemis statue. Father Selen begins to pray to Allah in Turkish. Mehmet Demirag mutters under his breath that Coptic Christians are not true followers of Allah. Braden shouts that the statue is beginning to glow. Peri begs Braden to remove the talisman at once. Seconds later, Braden reports that the head of the statue has opened, revealing some sort of electronic circuitry. Leptarmahn shouts to Braden with delight that he has successfully disarmed the Archangel booby-traps and has gained access to the Temporal Demagnetiser's control device. Suddenly, both The Doctor's police box and The Hodja's grotto materialise inside the excavation site. The Doctor steps out of his TARDIS and runs over to Leptarmahn, who still holds Peri at gunpoint. Peri tells The Doctor that she is all right but that the Lurptussans must not gain access to the Temporal Demagnetiser's control device. From a loudspeaker being broadcast from The Hodja's grotto TARDIS, The Hodja addresses Leptidon Leptarmahn, warning him that opposing the judgment of the Sixth Legion of the Archangels of Time will bring harsh consequences to his peoples. With everyone distracted by The Hodja's ominous admonition, The Doctor punches Leptarmahn in the stomach and grabs Leptarmahn's assault rifle! Peri instinctively runs behind The Doctor for protection. The Doctor shouts down to Braden, asking him to take the Evil Eye from Artemis's hand and place it on top of the control circuit in the statue's head.

Inside The Hodja's TARDIS, The Hodja joyfully tells Borak that the young Braden is complying. Borak brays back at his master in relief.

The Doctor warns Braden to climb out of the pit at once. Peri rushes over to lend a helping hand to pull Braden out of the pit. The Doctor shouts at them to run. Peri and Braden's footsteps on the rocky remains of the Temple of Artemis are cut short as they fall to the ground, while the statue of Artemis explodes inside the pit! The Doctor rushes over to Peri and Braden to help them up onto their feet. Braden sighs as The Doctor and Peri embrace in a hug.

Inside The Hodja's TARDIS, The Hodja tells Borak that the Falconian ship _Archaeopteryx_ has left Earth's orbit and that with the boosted power to the Chronoton Ring's reactor, all rogue Falconians have been banished to the Archangels' temporal prison at the beginning of time. Borak brays in concern. The Hodja assures his four-legged companion that with the subspace access ports to the Chronoton Ring now sealing, the Lurptussans will be banished to their internment camp at the end of time as well.

Leptarmahn's voice begins to fade away, as he vanishes from existence. His assault rifle falls on the stones beneath where his reptilian feet had just been. The Doctor assures Father Selen and Mehmet Demirag that they should experience no further intrusions from either the Falconians or the Lurptussans. Demirag suggests to Father Selen that they should probably get the surviving horticulture students and archaeologists to hospital in Seljuk for post-traumatic shock treatment. Father Selen agrees and then thanks The Doctor for saving the planet. The Doctor modestly gloats that it is all in a day's work.

Just outside the excavation site, Peri tries to comfort Braden, who is sickened by the carnage around them. Peri tells Braden that The Doctor didn't want anyone to die and that none of what happened was his fault anyway. Braden angrily asserts that Peri has become desensitised to death during her travels with The Doctor. Peri maintains that that is not true. Holding back tears, Braden tells Peri that he has done his best to treat her as he always has but that he cannot. He blames Peri for Howard's death. Peri tries to apologise, but Braden interrupts, charging that if she hadn't left Earth in a fit of temper that Janine wouldn't have thought Peri to be dead and wouldn't have filed for divorce. Peri suggests that she and Braden should go see her mother. Braden finally reveals to Peri that they can't see Janine because she is locked away in a sanitarium. Caught off-guard, Peri tries to speak. Braden shouts that Janine is not allowed visitors due to her unresponsive, catatonic state following her nervous breakdown. Peri begins to weep herself. An infuriated Braden reminds Peri that he now has no living parents and no stepparents to go home to. Peri tries to hug Braden; but Braden pushes her away, calls her a murderer, and then runs away. Peri tries yelling after Braden to no avail. The Doctor gently approaches Peri and tells her that Braden needs time to heal from his traumas but that there is nothing she can do for him right now. Peri quietly suggests that they go home.

Back in the temple's excavation area, The Hodja emerges from his grotto TARDIS, riding backwards on Borak the donkey, which Father Selen and Mehmet Demirag think is funny. Demirag thanks 'Hodja Bey' for saving the Turkish people yet again. The Hodja calmly suggests that they should contact the Ministry of Culture and the local gendarme. Father Selen looks around for The Doctor, as the police box dematerialises.

On board The Doctor's TARDIS, Peri stands in silence as The Doctor presses buttons on the console. Peri sheepishly asks The Doctor if Braden will be okay. Reluctantly, The Doctor reveals to Peri that the archaeology books in the TARDIS's library written by Professor Braden Foster suggest that he will be all right with time. Peri sighs in relief. Peri suggests that they could go visit Braden in the future. The Doctor insists that they have more urgent matters to attend to. Peri is confused. The Doctor elaborates that the data he downloaded from The Hodja's Touchstone contained some disturbing evidence that the Archangel Legions may still be in contact with officials on Gallifrey. When Peri asks who, The Doctor responds that The Hodja himself has been in contact with Acting Chancellor Niroc since roughly 900 Rassilon Era. He wonders if Acting President Flavia might be involved in the conspiracy. Peri asks what conspiracy The Doctor is talking about. The Doctor solemnly states that when he tried to access data on the Cave of the Seven Sleepers that he kept running across numerous references to Andromedan Sleepers…and a mysterious planet called Ravolox.

End of Part Four


End file.
